Coast Guard and partners in the Florida Keys respond to fuel sheen in Key Largo

Jan 4th, 2011 · Comments Off on Coast Guard and partners in the Florida Keys respond to fuel sheen in Key Largo

KEY LARGO, Fla. — Coast Guard Sector Key West and partner agencies in the Florida Keys responded to a report of a fuel sheen in Key Largo, Fla. Tuesday.

A Coast Guard Auxiliary Pollution Investigator in the Key Largo area responded immediately and reported a quantity of diesel fuel in the water large enough to warrant further Coast Guard investigation.

Based on the Auxiliary pollution investigator’s report, Coast Guard Sector Key West dispatched a Federal On Scene Coordinator’s Representative and Pollution Investigator who determined the source of the fuel to be a large 500 – gallon diesel fuel tank on land with a leaking hose attached to a moored vessel. The potential amount of fuel spilled was 500 gallons.

The Coast Guard notified the Key Largo Fire Department, whose Hazardous Materials Team conducted a full clean up of the spill.

The Coast Guard and Florida Department of Environmental Protection are conducting further investigation into the cause of the spill.